NIRH has a long history of supporting abortion coverage in both public and private insurance, including our 2010 ground-breaking research in anticipation of the anticipated attacks on abortion coverage following passage of the Affordable Care Act. Since 2012, promoting coverage for abortion care has been a priority in its local strategies, and NIRH has supported advocates across the country to work with their city councils and local boards of health to ensure that all women have insurance coverage, whether private or public, for this important health care service.

Current federal policies and a host of copycat state laws withhold insurance coverage for abortion from people who qualify for government-sponsored insurance programs. Since 2012, NIRH has prioritized insurance coverage for abortion care in its local strategies, supporting advocates working with their city councils and local boards of health to ensure that all women have insurance coverage for abortion care.

NIRH, in partnership with the All* Above All campaign, has worked with cities across the country to demonstrate elected leaders’ support for comprehensive reproductive health care for all women, calling on federal and state politicians to reinstate coverage for abortion services. By showing public approval for abortion coverage in their home communities, these resolutions have an impact on policymakers at the state and national levels, who have the power to change the laws impacting millions of women across the country. Learn about attacks on insurance coverage of abortion on the local level.

2019

Saint Louis, Missouri

On February 1, 2019, the St. Louis Board of Alderman passed Resolution 225, introduced by Alderman Annie Rice. Currently, MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid program, restricts the coverage of abortion for the more than 10,000 women enrolled in Medicare across St. Louis, and a series of other restrictions in state and federal law effectively ban the use of insurance to cover abortion costs in Missouri. This resolution called for the passage of policies, including the EACH Woman Act, which would allow all women access to the full range of pregnancy-related health care, including abortion, regardless of their public or private insurance. It also called on other state and federal officials to end bans on abortion coverage for women in public insurance programs.

  • Read the resolution here.
  • Read NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri’s press release here.
  • Read coverage of the resolution in The Missouri Times here.

Cities in Massachusetts

Through the second half of 2019, multiple cities in Massachusetts passed pro-abortion resolutions through their city councils. All of the resolutions passed so far both support the right to abortion as guaranteed by Roe v. Wade and affirm that their city supports people who seek abortions and their right to do so safely and legally. All of the resolutions, except in Somerville, MA also explicitly call on the Massachusetts state government and specific state legislators to pass the state legislation titled “An Act to Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access” or the ROE Act.

  • Amherst, Massachusetts: Find resolution text here and media coverage here.
  • Somerville, Massachusetts: Find the media coverage and resolution text here. 
  • Northampton, Massachusetts: Find the resolution text here and media coverage here and here.
  • Greenfield, Massachusetts: Find media coverage here.
  • Easthampton, Massachusetts: Find the resolution text here and media coverage here.

2018

Austin, TX

On October 4, 2018 the Austin City Council unanimously passed Rosie’s Resolution, calling for an end to bans on abortion coverage and honoring the life of Rosie Jimenez, the first person known to die because of the Hyde Amendment’s restrictions. The resolution also recognized Travis County’s Medical Assistance Program, which provided insurance coverage of abortion for residents of the county, where Austin is located, until the state ended the program in 2011. NIRH and All* Above All partnered with NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and the Lilith Fund to advocate for passage of this resolution.

  • Read the resolution here.
  • Read a Texas Tribune op-ed from Amanda Williams, Executive Director of The Lilith Fund, on the need to fight for ends to bans on abortion coverage and other restrictions here. ()
  • Watch the press conference on the resolution here.
  • Read coverage on Fox 7 news here.
  • Read coverage on Spectrum news here.

Carrboro, NC

On October 16, 2018, the Carrboro, NC Board of Alders unanimously passed a resolution marking the 42nd year of the Hyde Amendment and calling for an end on state and federal bans on abortion coverage. NIRH and All* Above All partnered with NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina to advocate for passage of the resolution.

  • Read the resolution here.
  • Read coverage in the Daily Tar Heel here.

Durham County, NC

On April 9, 2018, the Durham County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution calling for an end to the Hyde Amendment and calling upon President Trump and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to support measures to ensure and protect the rights of women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals everywhere to have unhindered access to safe and comprehensive health care. NIRH and All* Above All partnered with NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina and a broad coalition of local organizations, including Carolina Abortion Fund, SisterSong, ACLU of North Carolina, Action NC, American Association of University Women NC, Equality NC, Jewish Voice for Peace, National Association of SW NC Chapter, NC Justice Center, North Carolina NOW, Planned Parenthood of the South Atlantic, and Southerners on New Ground (SONG) to advocate for passage of this resolution.

2017

Multnomah County, OR

On April 20, 2017, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pass a proclamation in support of policies that support insurance coverage and funding for all reproductive health care services for women, including abortion. This vote followed a hearing by the Board of Commissioners on March 29, 2016, that examined the landscape of reproductive health care access in the county. The National Institute and All* Above All partnered  with the Asian Pacific American Network of  Oregon (APANO), the Momentum Alliance, the Western States Center, and the We are BRAVE Coalition to introduce and win passage of this proclamation.

Pittsburgh, PA

On November 20, 2017, the Pittsburgh City Council voted to pass a Will of Council calling for the passage of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage (EACH Woman) Act, a federal bill that would reinstate abortion coverage in public insurance programs, and for the repeal of Pennsylvania’s ban on abortion coverage in private insurance plans sold through the state’s Health Insurance Exchange. This remarkable effort was led by New Voices for Reproductive Justice, a human rights organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Black women and women of color in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and supported by the National Institute for Reproductive Health and All* Above All.

  • Read the live-tweeting of the meeting with the hashtag #BOLDtheBurgh here.
  • Read the press release here.

2016

Ithaca, NY

On September 7, 2016, the Ithaca Common Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution condemning the Hyde Amendment and calling upon the US Congress and President Obama to support and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services. The National Institute and All* Above All worked closely with Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes to support the lead sponsor of the resolution, Alderperson Cynthia Brock, and the other Alders on the Common Council to introduce and win passage of the resolution. Mayor Svante Merrick further expressed his support by releasing a Mayoral Proclamation calling for the passage of the EACH Woman Act. Moving testimony was provided in support of the resolution by advocates and community members.

Boston, MA

On September 28, the Boston City Council, led by Councilmember Ayanna Pressley, unanimously passed a resolution honoring the United for Abortion Coverage Week of Action and calling an end to 40 years of the Hyde Amendment. The National Institute and All* Above All partnered with a coalition of organizations in Boston included Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, the ACLU of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion (EMA) Fund, an abortion fund that had previously led work to pass a resolution in nearby Cambridge, to support the Boston City Council in this work.  Councilor Pressley spoke about the importance of Boston in taking a stand to support its residents who face restrictions on abortion coverage and in solidarity with the women and trans people in the 33 states across the country that do not provide Medicaid coverage of abortion in calling upon the US Congress to pass the EACH Woman Act.

Philadelphia, PA

On September 29, 2016, the Philadelphia City Council, led by Councilwoman Cindy Bass and Councilwoman Helen Gym, unanimously passed a resolution calling for passage of the EACH Woman Act and for an end to state and federal bans on insurance coverage of abortion. In taking this action, the City Council joined its Board of Health, who passed a similar resolution in February 2013. The City Council featured moving testimony from advocates on the importance of passing this resolution.

Los Angeles, CA

On September 30, Councilwoman Nury Martinez led the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous vote to call for passage of the EACH Woman Act and a repeal on bans on insurance coverage of abortion. Supported by the Los Angeles Coalition for Reproductive Justice, this resolution, passed on the actual 40th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, became the 11th to call for such action. The press conference that followed featured testimony in both English and Spanish on the importance of ensuring that all people are able to access comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, no matter where their insurance comes from.

2015

Cook County, IL

With support from the National Institute, the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois and the Chicago Abortion Fund undertook an education and advocacy effort that led to the passage of a county resolution calling for access to abortion coverage for low-income women.

Madison, WI

On March 17, 2015, the Madison Common Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for increased funding for abortion care, citing the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin women who are denied insurance coverage of abortion. The National Institute worked closely with the resolution sponsor, Alder Lisa Subeck, providing background information, messaging and communications guidance, and links to local advocates. Hearing testimony from members of the Women’s Medical Fund, a local abortion fund, emphasized that repealing the bans on insurance coverage of abortion is part of the larger struggle against inequity that marginalized communities face.

2014

Seattle, WA

On September 10, 2014, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling on federal lawmakers to repeal all bans on public insurance coverage of abortion, making Seattle the first jurisdiction in the Northwest to declare its support on this issue. Legal Voice drafted the resolution and led the effort, with support and strategic guidance from the National Institute, and many other organizations participating in the resolution hearing.

San Francisco, CA

On February 11, 2014, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a Resolution declaring February to be “Women, Girls, and Transgender Women’s Health Month” in the city. The resolution recognizing the full range of health care needs of these populations, including among its points language condemning efforts to block access to the full range of reproductive health care services, including insurance coverage for abortion, and encouraging all women, girls, and transgender women in San Francisco to obtain insurance through Covered California, the expanded Medi-Cal Program, or the Healthy San Francisco program. The resolution was supported by 25 women’s health and community groups, including the Center for Reproductive Rights.

2013

Cambridge, MA

Two Cambridge, MA, residents and activists from the EMA Fund learned of the resolutions passed in other localities and began working with the Cambridge City Council to replicate this success, passing a resolution on April 1, 2013. This resolution, developed in consultation with the National Institute, called for the reinstatement of abortion coverage and emphasized that such coverage is essential to ensuring socioeconomic status does not impact a woman’s health care access. Several local advocates testified in support of the resolution.

New York, NY

National Institute sister organization NARAL Pro-Choice New York worked hand-in-hand with the New York City Council to pass a resolution on January 23, 2013, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and calling on the U.S. Congress to restore federal funding for abortion. Several other reproductive rights and justice advocates testified in support of the resolution, which passed unanimously.

Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Board of Health unanimously passed a resolution supporting comprehensive reproductive health care coverage on February 14, 2013. Citing the direct impact of restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion on Philadelphia women, the resolution called on state lawmakers to vote against a state-level ban on abortion coverage and urged federal lawmakers to reinstate abortion coverage for every woman who needs it, regardless of the source of her insurance. Advocacy efforts were led by a local abortion fund, the Women’s Medical Fund, with hands-on support and guidance from the National Institute.

Travis County, TX

In Travis County, the Commissioners Court unanimously passed a resolution on January 22, 2013, marking the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by affirming a woman’s right to access safe and comprehensive health care. It also urged state lawmakers to restore family planning funding in response to the legislature’s efforts to defund reproductive health care providers. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas and the Lilith Fund received support and strategic assistance from the National Institute and testified in support of the resolution.